Abraham is troubled by the news that the Lord has come down in person due to the outcry over the wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham knows this means the judgment is going to be severe. The Lord is making certain no one can ever accuse Him of not thoroughly investigating the situation from every angle before He takes action.
Abraham's nephew Lot and his family live in Sodom. Naturally he's concerned for his relatives. But he's also concerned for any other believers who may be living within Sodom or its sister city Gomorrah. He's afraid that, when judgment falls, the righteous will suffer along with the wicked.
This next verse tells us something very interesting which backs up the theory that one of the three visitors is the Lord Himself. "The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord." (Genesis 18:22) When we arrive at Chapter 19, we find that only two of them show up at Lot's house in Sodom. This indicates that in our passage today, two of the men (who are clearly identified as angels in the next chapter) continue on down the road while the third man (the Lord) remains behind for a time to speak with Abraham. Where did the Lord go after speaking with Abraham? The Bible doesn't tell us, but we can assume He went on to view the things taking place in Sodom and Gomorrah. Just because He does not interact personally with Lot doesn't mean He didn't go to the city as He said He would. I believe He tasked the two angels with persuading Lot to leave Sodom while He observed all the evidence that was necessary to condemn the two cities to destruction. We know He must have gone to Sodom and Gomorrah because in His conversation with Abraham He will speak of whether or not He "finds" righteous people in Sodom.
Abraham is going to appeal to the court for leniency. He's going to ask the Judge to spare the city of Sodom if enough righteous people are found there. "Then Abraham approached Him and said: 'Will You sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing---to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?'" (Genesis 18:23-25) I don't think Abraham is being impertinent when he says, "Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" I think he's acting as defense attorney in the Lord's court, so to speak. He's interceding on behalf of anyone who serves the Lord in Sodom so that they won't suffer the same fate as the wicked. I think he's saying something like, "Lord, I know You are good. I know You are righteous. It's not in Your character to sweep away the good people along with the bad people."
"The Lord said, 'If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.'" (Genesis 18:26) This is a good sign. Abraham feels bold enough to continue making his plea for leniency. "Then Abraham spoke up again: 'Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is less than fifty? Will You destroy the whole city for lack of five people?'" (Genesis 18:27-28a) Abraham is courageous but he's also respectful when speaking with the Lord. He acknowledges God's holiness and his own unworthiness.
"'If I find forty-five there,' He said, 'I will not destroy it.'" (Genesis 18:28b) The Lord is being patient with Abraham and this encourages him to go on. "Once again he spoke to Him, 'What if only forty are found there?' He said, 'For the sake of forty I will not do it.'" (Genesis 18:29)
Abraham doesn't want to keep pushing his luck, but lives are at stake here, so he continues. "Then he said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?' He answered, 'I will not do it if I find thirty there.' Abraham said, 'Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?' He said, 'For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.'" (Genesis 18:30-31)
The Lord is so merciful. He would have spared a large number of very wicked people simply because a few righteous people lived in their midst. This should encourage us whenever we feel like we are in the minority as believers. Though our nation seems to be moving further and further away from the Lord and away from the principles of the Bible, the Lord very well may spare our nation from disaster or collapse simply because He has people here who hold fast to Him. We must keep standing strong in faith. In addition, we must do what Abraham did: intercede with the Lord. We should pray for the Lord to protect our nation for the sake of those who believe in Him.
Abraham bargains once more with the Lord. "Then he said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?' He answered, 'For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.' When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home." (Genesis 18:32-33) Abraham surely must have thought there would be at least ten righteous people in the city. We will learn in Chapter 19 that Lot has a wife and two unmarried daughters and that there are two young men who are engaged to his daughters. Abraham likely assumes these six people are faithful to the Lord. I think he believes that during Lot's time in Sodom he must have led other people to the Lord. But Abraham and Lot have probably been out of touch with each other for a while, because we are going to find Lot quite reluctant to leave the city and we are going to find that his family is not as committed to the Lord as Abraham assumes they are. None of them has led anyone else to the Lord and they are not walking very closely with the Lord themselves. The Lord isn't going to find ten righteous people in Sodom.
But, for Abraham's sake, He is willing to rescue Lot and his family before destroying the city. This should encourage us to keep praying for our loved ones who don't know the Lord or who aren't living as close to the Lord as they should be. Who knows what great miracle He will perform in their lives just because we were faithful about praying for them? Who knows how many dangers He will rescue them from because we interceded with Him on their behalf? The Lord is going to rescue Lot (who has become too worldly during his years in Sodom) not so much for Lot's sake but for Abraham's sake. Do you know someone who needs rescuing from the clutches of sin and bad decisions? Keep appealing to the Lord on their behalf.
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